1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a target selection apparatus for detecting a target such as a face, a control method therefor, and a computer-readable storage medium storing a control program for implementing the method.
2. Description of the Related Art
In recent years, devices handling digital image data such as digital photo printers and digital still cameras have become widespread, and some of these devices have the function of detecting a human face as a target in image data (face detecting function). An application that carries out specific image processing on a face part of a person detected by the face detecting function has been proposed.
Further, by objectifying data on a face part (face data) using face detection results, the face data may be applied to purposes other than image processing such as database compilation or personal authentication.
An example of conventional face detecting functions is to collectively read image data, collectively carry out face detection processing on the entire region of the image data, and then display the detection result.
As for image data, there may be a face part desired to be processed and a face part undesired to be processed. It is thus necessary to select a face part from a face detection result. Examples of selection methods therefor include a method that a face part as an object of image processing is selected from a face detection result and a method that a face part matching a specific face part is selected from a face detection result.
Moreover, there is a method that data associated with a face part is regarded as a part of entire image data, and an image associated with a face part is selected. Here, image information such as characters and texts is stored in an image storage device, and a part of image information displayed on a display is indicated by a closed curve using a light pen or the like. Then, information indicative of the inside/outside of the closed curve (inside/outside information) is created using a closed curve inside recognition device and stored in the image storage device, and an image of a part specified as a result of logical operation of the image information and the inside/outside information is selected (see Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. S58-161031).
According to Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. 2004-62560, however, it is necessary to register specific face parts (face images of persons) in advance. Then, it is necessary to compare a detected face image and the face images registered in advance and determine whether or not there is a match. For this reason, when selection is to be carried out for image data in which an unspecified number of people show up, immediacy is compromised.
Moreover, according to Japanese Laid-Open Patent Publication (Kokai) No. S58-161031, a part of an image cannot be specified until the formation of a closed curve or the like using a light pen is completed. Thus, it takes time to switch from the selection of a part of an image to the next processing, for example, image processing on the selected part of the image.